snickerDoodle is an online community that provides a safe & non-judgmental space for individuals to engage in personal reflection and creative expression through doodling and sharing their stories with others. The platform helps foster a sense of community and belonging, while also promoting personal growth.
I analyzed 10 literature review, 3 user interviews and 1 expert consult results. I contributed to 15+ ideations and established our design system. I helped created low to high fidelity prototypes and conducted 5+ user testing sessions to iterate on the designs.
+ Sketches & Wireframes
+ High-Fidelity Prototypes
+ Design System
Despite being aware of the significance of mental health and actively seeking resources like therapy and meditation apps to enhance their mental wellbeing, individuals often struggle to maintain a consistent practice over time due to busy schedules, lack of motivations and evolving needs and preferences.
snickerDoodle inspires users to to reflect on their personal experiences by engaging in prompted doodling and storytelling. By leveraging the concepts of social proof and anticipation, snickerDoodle keeps users actively engaged, fostering a long-term habit of self-reflection and affirmation.
Take me to the solutions!
Mental health is an essential aspect of an individual’s overall health and well-being, it allows people to cope with stresses in their dally life, contribute to their community and live a fulfilling life. While recent research indicated that 76% of U.S. workers have experienced at least one symptom of a mental health condition, and 84% of respondents have identified their work environment as a contributing factor to this issue. The lack of mental health support can have a significant negative impact on an individual's quality of life and ability to function effectively in daily life.
I initiated the project by looking into the field of mental welling to understand what has been discussed and what is the future outlook for the domain. A total of 10 academic papers were reviewed to provide a holistic view on the problem space. This allowed us to discover the following four main findings regarding the state of art of the topic:
Mindfulness Practice is Promising
Mindfulness-based interventions are effective in promoting psychological resilience and helping individuals cope with difficult situations
Intervention Timing is Critical
Mindfulness interventions can be maximized when introduced immediately after a stress-triggering event
A Need for Relaxing & Fun Off-Work Activities
Off-work activities can help alleviate the sense of stress by distancing the individuals from the main source of stress
Variations in Personal & Cultural Beliefs
The effectiveness of mindfulness interventions may be influenced by individuals' cultural backgrounds and personal beliefs
After getting a good grasp of the general landscape, we reached out to 2 experts in the field of psychology to get a deeper understanding of some effective strategies used by mental health professionals. The biggest insight gained from this session is that
Encourage positive thinking can mitigate stressful feelings and provide psychological comfort.
I used new metaphor design toolkit to open up the conversation about work environment and the various stressors and challenges participants face at work. Upon seeing the connection made between works and emotions, I have come to recognize the invisible mental burden that people carry with them even on their day off. This realization has led me to consider how our service can assist in helping participants disengage from work-related subjects during their off-work hours.
Later on, we also conducted semi-structured interviews to learn about people's approach to maintaining and improving mental wellbeing on a daily basis. In addition, we also hoped to uncover the obstacles that individuals encounter in their journey.
Designating a time to practice mindfulness is particularly difficult for individuals who have demanding work schedules
" My workday is usually so packed.. When I'm done with work. I just want to chill and don't think about anything. "
The current mindfulness practices are repetitive and less engaging over time, which can lead to a loss of interest and motivation
" I tried using some (mindfulness apps) like headspace, but after a while I just got tired of it. Once I stopped (using the app) I won't go back again. "
Having the support of friends and family is crucial in coping with the stressors people face at work
" I tend to talk it out with my friends and family. Most of the time we talk and laugh if off, and I will feel better afterwards. "
With a refined problem statement, I identified 3 key concepts to guide our decision-making.
Balance variety and familiarity
We will explore different self-care approaches that can effectively engage people. Meanwhile, we aim to maintain users' sense of comfort and control by incorporating their familiar practices into the design.
Make it light hearted and entertaining
We aim to provide engaging and lighthearted content to help people distance themselves from the source of stress.
Tailor contents to personal needs
We hope to provide people with content that resonates with them, and also leverage their social connections to create a sense of community support.
With the design goals in mind, we conducted a rapid idea generation session as a team and generated over 50 ideas. To prioritize our ideas, we considered factors such as the ease of implementation, the amount of time left for the project, and the appropriateness of persuasive strategies for our target audience. Using these criteria, we narrowed down our list of ideas to 3 most promising solutions.
After receiving feedback from peers and the faculty, we decided to pursue the Pictionary game route. Our idea involves creating a social platform where individuals can engage in self-reflection and celebrate small moments in life through creative doodling and storytelling. We wanted to encourage positive mindset through a creative & approach and establish a close-knit community where individuals feel safe and supported to express themselves.
1. Intermixing: Mix mindfulness related topics and other casual topics to the reflection prompts to subtly nudge the participants towards a more positive mindset.
2. Obfuscation: Intentionally obscure the main purpose of the app can deliver the concept in a less intimidating way, which can decrease the potential aversive response people might have.
3. Social Proof: Motivate people to engage with the platform through a social media component. Being able to see others in their social circle and from around the world will make snickerDoodle more appealing to potential users.
4. Self Affirmation: Remind people of what they have can invoke a sense of gratitude and security, thus ensuring psychological safety.
Strategies Implemented
Draw a Reflection prompt and write a backstory
User will pick a prompt that resonate with them and draw a picture to reflect on the prompt. Before posting the image, user will write a key word and a short story behind the picture to reinforce the reflection.
Unlock Other Users' drawing backstory
User will see the posts from the general public and their friends circle. They can engage with the posts by guessing the key words and unlocking the backstories.
I evaluated the designs with 3 participants to discover gaps between our design ideas and participants' expectations. The primary issue emerged from this evaluation was the lack of clear directions and a purpose statement in the design. The participants were uncertain about how to proceed with certain steps and were also confused about the main objective of the application.
As a result of this user feedback, we refined the design by introducing more comprehensive onboarding steps. These onboarding steps provide new users with a clear understanding of the app's purpose and guide them through its essential functionalities.
After two additional rounds of user testing, I noticed that participants have become more confident in navigating through the app and have expressed strong interest in seeing the app live.
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Users can choose prompts that resonate with them and use doodling as a tool for self-expression. They can then share their drawings and the stories behind them with a supportive community they trust.
Users can make guesses on posts that capture their interest on their feed. This encourages them to engage with each other's content and build a a greater understanding and appreciation for the experiences of others, fostering empathy and connection among users.
Users can personalize their experience within the app by setting notifications for new content based on their daily schedule. They will also be reminded to revisit some of the previous works or guesses to foster a sense of pride and confidence in their positive contributions to their surroundings.
If I were to continue developing this app, I would consider incorporating more guiding questions at the beginning of the experience. This approach would encourage users to reflect on their priorities and goals, providing a solid foundation for further exploration and action within the app. By thoughtfully crafting these guiding questions, the app would create a space for users to feel heard and validated, which would in turn solicit their sense of self-awareness and self-worth. In addition, this approach can lead to a more personalized user experience, allowing the app to better cater to the individual needs and interests.
